The present invention relates generally to warheads, and more particularly to the control of warhead initiation.
Dual-mode initiation capability is required of a warhead when encountering a broad spectrum of targets which include both air and surface targets. This type of initiation capability is necessary to yield different warhead case fragmentation patterns to provide adequate kill capability against both aircrafts and ships, as representative examples of air and surface targets. For aircraft targets, a warhead is most effective if the pattern of fragmentations is concentrated and close to the target. One means of achieving this concentrated fragmentation pattern is to initiate the warhead from both ends simultaneously.
When directed at surface targets, such as ships, a more widely disbursed fragmentation pattern is more effective, and initiation of the warhead at one end thereof will achieve this pattern. Thus, what is desirable is an initiation system which will permit selection of either single-ended initiation or dual-ended initiation of the warhead depending upon the type of target against which the warhead is directed, with the selection being made during the pre-launch sequence, or at launch by the launch operator.
The majority of existing warhead initiators do not possess the aforesaid dual-mode capability, the with bulk of the initiators igniting the warhead at the center thereof, at both ends simultaneously, or at one end thereof. In the U.S. Pat. No. 3,853,059 to R. G. Moe, the suggestion is made that optimum effectiveness in a configured blast fragmentation warhead may be obtained by a shift of the fragment beam spray which can be achieved by selective initiation of either end of the warhead or simultaneous initiation at both ends, dependent upon target information. Moe states that many currently-existing missiles have available information in the guidance circuitry which is sufficient to provide controls to selectively initiate detonation in an optimum mode based on some combination of missile and target attitude, proximity or other data. The patentee, however, does not disclose the means for controlling this selective warhead intiation.
Safety and arming devices (S & A), which control the arming and initiation of the warhead, can be developed to integrate data from the guidance system and the control inputs from the fire controller to selectively initiate the warhead in the optimum mode. Development of such an S & A, however, will be costly and time-consuming. Consequently, the immediate requirement exists for an inexpensive, effective and reliable multiple mode warhead initiation system.